I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 55

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Ron spoke.
“I’m going to be quite exhausted from now on.”
“…What?”
Isabel, gripped by fear, couldn’t understand what he meant.
“72 days, 22 hours, 23 minutes, and 55 seconds ago.”
“….”
“How exhausting this is.”
Ron had every reason to be exhausted.
He remembered clearly every word Isabel had spoken last year.
More precisely, it wasn’t that he remembered—the words had etched themselves into his memory.
Each word she’d spoken had become a dagger, piercing straight into his heart.
‘Then I wish Father would be exhausted all the time. That way, we could spend days together like today, wouldn’t we?’
‘Just on my birthday. Just one day a year—couldn’t Father be exhausted for me?’
She had spoken with such pitiful eyes to Ron, who couldn’t respond.
‘Is sixteen times too many?’
Those words had sunk so deeply into his heart that he had no choice but to be exhausted.
Somehow, it felt as though he needed to be exhausted to have a reason to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.
“I was exhausted yesterday, I’m exhausted today, and I plan to be exhausted tomorrow. Therefore, I will also be exhausted 72 days, 22 hours, 23 minutes, and 11 seconds from now. I feel like I might die from exhaustion.”
“….”
Only then did Isabel understand what Ron was saying.
The formless terror that had filled her chest just moments before melted away like snow in an instant.
‘What was I so afraid of?’
Just one step.
It was merely one step.
From that single step away, looking at her father, he didn’t seem angry at all.
Ron’s expression was always the same.
What had changed was only Isabel’s heart.
“Father….”
Tears welled up in Isabel’s clear eyes.
If before it had been from fear, this time was different. Ron could feel it distinctly.
Ron was happy simply from the change in Isabel’s expression.
“Are you forgiving me?”
“It’s not a matter of forgiveness. I simply prepared a gift for you—why are you apologizing?”
Isabel thought Ron was lying.
What kind of gift could be prepared 72 days in advance?
‘Father is showing his care for me in his own way.’
The moment that thought reached her, Isabel burst into tears.
“Wahhhhh!”
Though she had grown considerably in body, she was still seven years old, and once her tears began to flow, it was not easy to control them with reason.
Ron was startled and watched Isabel’s expression for a moment before gently lifting her into his arms.
And I carefully held Isabel close.
“I’m quite exhausted.”
With a firm touch, I patted her small back.
Despite Ron’s constant murmuring about being tired, exhaustion was nowhere to be found in his expression.
After some time had passed, Ron set Isabel down again.
“Is the Princess really such a crybaby coward?”
“I’m not a crybaby!”
“Look at your face. If that’s not a crybaby, what is?”
Ron pulled out a tissue and gently tapped around Isabel’s eyes.
“And blow your nose.”
Poof!
Isabel, as if enchanted, found herself blowing her nose with a poof without even thinking.
More came out than expected, which startled her, but she decided it would be stranger to feel embarrassed, so she pretended it was nothing.
“Crybaby.”
“I-I’m not a crybaby!”
“Really?”
Ron gazed at Isabel with a mischievous expression.
A third party witnessing this would have been shocked.
They would never have believed that the Iron-Blooded Emperor Ron could make such an expression.
“Really, I’m not!”
“Really?”
“…”
“In my opinion, you’re the biggest crybaby in the world.”
Isabel pouted slightly with a whimper.
‘This is hitting me hard.’
Though her emotions were currently overwhelming her reason, her mental age was still twenty.
As time passed, she gradually regained her composure.
Once Isabel had recovered enough of her reason, she simply conceded cleanly.
“I guess I am a crybaby.”
“I thought so.”
Watching his daughter admit defeat so completely, Ron broke into a broad smile.
Isabel blinked as she gazed at that smile.
‘Father… can smile like that?’
She had seen him chuckle a few times before. Even that had felt like sunlight.
But this wasn’t sunlight—it felt like facing the sun itself.
Ah, that’s cheating.
“Ugh, it’s so bright.”
Isabel’s true feelings spilled out before she could stop herself.
The fact that her honest thoughts escaped even as she regained her composure meant she truly meant what she had said.
Ron glanced back slightly.
Whether by misfortune or fortune, sunlight streamed through the window.
It was quite intense sunlight.
‘Bright enough to hurt one’s eyes.’
Ron approached the window and drew the curtains closed. Then he spoke.
“Don’t overthink things. You’re allowed to think simply.”
In Ron’s eyes, Isabel was far too mature for her age.
Very occasionally, she would show childlike moments, and Ron believed those were her true self.
‘You’re only seven years old.’
A seven-year-old didn’t need to seem seventeen.
The Isabel that Ron saw appeared to be trying every single day to seem seventeen.
“Do you truly believe a mere creature could steal from the Imperial Palace’s treasure vault?”
“That is… well…”
Now that I thought about it, it was strange.
How could an adorable ratel possibly raid the treasure vault? And that of the heavily guarded Imperial Palace, no less.
“Must I teach you something so obvious? This is truly exhausting.”
“I-I’m terribly sorry.”
“From now on, I forbid you from saying you’re sorry.”
Every other word was fine, but Ron didn’t want to hear Isabel apologize.
For some reason, it simply put him in a bad mood.
He hated seeing Isabel’s shoulders droop, hated watching her fear him while gauging his mood.
“If you apologize again, I shall erase the word ‘sorry’ from the dictionary itself. By imperial decree.”
“…”
“Answer me.”
“Y-yes. I understand.”
Only then did Ron smile broadly.
“Call Kim Beolggwol. When you speak his name, he’ll come running.”
“Y-you mean Bumblebee?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t scold him harshly.”
Isabel then called out loudly, “Kim Beolggwol!”
‘Will Bumblebee really appear?’
Would he truly hear her voice?
As if mocking her hesitation, Kim Beolggwol appeared almost immediately.
Tap! Tap!
A sound came from outside the window.
Ron opened the curtains again and opened the window, letting out a soft chuckle.
“This is the eighth floor, yet you climbed it well.”
Ron was not particularly surprised by Kim Beolggwol’s appearance.
“Isabel. I need to speak with Kim Beolggwol alone for a moment. Go to the Arena Palace and wait. After I’ve had a word with this creature, I’ll send him off properly.”
Ron extended his pinky finger, and Isabel linked hers with his.
Thanks to that, she felt somewhat reassured.
“Ah, understood. I’ll cast an interpretation spell for you.”
Isabel cast the interpretation spell, then spoke carefully.
“If you scold him too harshly, he’ll be sad.”
“Don’t worry.”
Ron gently stroked Isabel’s head with a soft, soothing motion. Strangely, that touch brought her great comfort and reassurance.
Feeling at ease, she returned to the Arena Palace.
* * *
After finishing his conversation with the Emperor, Kim Beolggwol dashed into the garden.
He hid himself among the reeds, lost in thought.
In truth, Kim Beolggwol had long since become capable of far more sophisticated and complex thinking than before.
‘A dragon?’
A [?] mark appeared above Kim Beolggwol’s head.
‘What is a dragon?’
The Emperor had asked Kim Beolggwol if he was perhaps a dragon that protected the imperial family.
He had also asked if he was a descendant of the Black Dragon, but Kim Beolggwol did not understand those words.
[Don’t know what it is.]
[But it feels familiar somehow.]
How to describe it? It felt as though something kept poking through the surface of my consciousness.
[Am I a dragon?]
No, that’s not right. I’m a ratel.
‘Am I a dragon?’
Multicolored mana leaked from Kim Beolggwol’s body, but no one was there to witness it.
Then suddenly, something brushed through my mind.
Something deeply embarrassing and shameful.
The remnants of that powerful emotion lingered in my unconscious.
‘The Final End and Destruction and Transparency and something-something Black Flame Dragon?’
An incomprehensible name surfaced in my thoughts.
‘Arun? What is Arun? Is it food?’
But the ratel Kim Beolggwol did not dwell on it for long.
[Kim Beolggwol is a ratel.]
[Ratels don’t worry about things.]
Deep contemplation was not suited to a ratel’s nature.
The ratel walked forward with confidence and returned to Isabel’s Room, wagging his tail.
Whine whine—
Making that sound I only produce before Isabel, I sat down like a puppy.
Isabel crouched before me and gently tickled under my chin.
Whine whine—
Bumblebee rubbed against Isabel’s shin, enjoying her touch.
Judging from his response, it didn’t seem like he had been scolded much at all.
“Looks like you didn’t get scolded too badly? That’s a relief.”
Whine—
Kim Beolggwol melted into a puddle right before Isabel.
Exposing his belly, he lay down and gently tapped Isabel’s leg with his front paws.
“Hmm? What is it?”
He seemed to be asking for something.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————